Ball pythons escaping

[ImBadAtUsernames]

So I really want a ball python but my parents are only worried about it escaping. I've told them about screen clips and putting something heavy on top but they still are worried. Anyone have any tips or advice on keeping them in the enclosures and to reassure my parents?

[MR Snakes]

What you wrote.

[55fingers]

Depending on the enclosure, you can even get locks for it.

[Bogertophis]

Worried, why? do they think a ball python wants to eat them in their sleep? It's all you can do to convince a BP to eat what it's SUPPOSED TO EAT, never mind
that it's going to come after any of you... Any snake that escapes has a much greater risk to itself than it does to any of you....so make sure the cage is locked
for the sake of the snake. You can also weigh down the top of a cage (depending what kind of cage you're using) and snakes are not "weight-lifters"...they may
push at a cage but there is a limit to what they can physically do.

[paulh]

Welcome to the ball-python.net forums!

Maybe this should go in the do-it-yourself forum. Are you handy with tools? Do you have basic tools?

Screen clips and heavy weights do not reassure me. When I was starting out, I went the heavy weight route with a bullsnake. About 5 am one morning, my mother got me out of bed to catch that snake. He was on my father's tie rack in my parents' bedroom. Good thing neither was phobic about snakes. My grandmother was phobic, but that's a different story.

Most secure way I ever fastened down an aquarium lid was with metal shipping tape. I dumpster dived for the tape. Then I wrapped the tape all the way around the aquarium the long way, overlapped the ends, drilled holes in the overlap and put a small bolt with wingnut though the holes. I could lift the whole aquarium by the top with that tape holding them together.

By the way, I prefer 1/4 inch pegboard over screen for a top.

Good luck.

[Sunnieskys]

I have four clips on each cage. My Booplesnoop is a smart one. She no longer gets out lol.

[Danger noodles]

Just buy a exo terra tank or something similar. And done, no escaping

[GoingPostal]

Look into pvc enclosures with locking latches, snake is only getting out if you leave it open.

[Tonald Drump]

First off, try informing them the consequences of a BP escaping. There's a good chance that they think the ball python can injure/hurt/kill them when it gets loose, so it's worth a shot. Then, list off the things that you can do to keep the BP in the enclosure.

Sent from my vivo 1601 using Tapatalk

[Bogertophis]

...Most secure way I ever fastened down an aquarium lid was with metal shipping tape. I dumpster dived for the tape. Then I wrapped the tape all the way around the aquarium the long way, overlapped the ends, drilled holes in the overlap and put a small bolt with wingnut though the holes. I could lift the whole aquarium by the top with that tape holding them together....

You reminded me of how I've set up quickly for unplanned snakes that came my way:
I used pipe-strapping (metal) "tape"> Two pieces that each go under the tank, each end bent upwards with a couple inches on each side so that
a bungee cord could stretch across the lid on either end of the tank & hook into the holes in the metal straps. Not pretty, but quite effective. Honestly I don't trust the
clips they sell in pet stores, not the ones I've seen I tried (& returned) anyway.

As a fan of tanks, the most secure way I use is fastening 4 chains from the 4 corners of the base the tank sits on, upwards with a snap-bolt that clips to an eye-bolt in
the wood frame of the lid*. (*I make my own tank lids, wood & wire mesh/screen.) Nothing is ever going to push MY lids off, lol. You can buy
the right sort of chain in hardware stores...not too light & not too heavy, easy to work with. So how you lock your cages really depends on what kind of cage YOU have.

And the most secure cage in the world is only as good as your attention to detail...if you're someone who forgets to close the refrigerator, you might not be right for a snake yet, lol. You have to make sure you don't get distracted & forget when the phone rings, etc.

One word of caution: if using something heavy to set on the lid of a cage to contain a pet, be very careful about what you use. I've heard of accidents with
this method- like using a small dumbbell that ended up crashing thru the screen that wasn't strong enough to hold it. It's really NOT the "best" way to lock.